How to become a user researcher
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- applying directly
- a graduate training scheme
University
You can do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in:
- psychology
- human computer interaction (HCI)
- digital marketing
- product design
- graphic design
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
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Volunteering
You can volunteer at user research sessions to get some experience. This will be useful, especially if you do not have a degree.
You can also get involved in the online user experience (UX) community and find a mentor to help you.
Direct Application
You can apply directly to user research or digital design companies, or go through a specialist agency.
To apply, you'll need experience in:
- user-centred design practices
- running user research sessions in person and online
- different user research methods
- presenting user research findings in different formats
Other Routes
You could apply for a place on a user research or marketing company's graduate training scheme if you have a degree, for example in digital marketing or product design.
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Career tips
It will be useful if you have experience of working in agile project development.
You can find further information on what a user researcher does at the Government Digital Service.
It will also help if you have a portfolio to show examples of your work to employers.
Further information
You can find out more about working as a user researcher from the User Experience Professionals' Association and Tech Future Careers.